Hand scoop for placing masonry grout

ABSTRACT

A hand scoop for lifting and passing grout or high density granular material has a pair of handles formed such that a first worker can readily remove grout from a container, and then manually pass the scoop and grout to another worker to simplify and accelerate grouting operations.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is related to an improved hand scoop for transferringgrout, or any other high-density material from a container to fillhollow concrete blocks that have been previously laid.

Contractors frequently build a wall by laying several courses of hollowconcrete blocks, one above the other. Liquid cement is typicallyprovided in a mortar tub. The mason tender scoops the grout into ashovel or bucket and then passes the shovel to the bricklayer who thendeposits the grout into the cores of the blocks.

Grout is conventionally deposited in concrete blocks using shovels orplastic buckets. A shovel limits the amount of grout that can be passed.It is difficult to deposit grout in a clean fashion due to its fluidity.Buckets are dirty and less durable as well.

Hand scoops and buckets are known in the prior art. Usually they areconstructed for scooping grain which is then deposited into boxes, sacksor other containers. Examples of such prior art may be found in U.S.Pat. No. 3,026,138 issued Mar. 20, 1962 to Homer H. Benjamin et al. for“Hand Scoop”; U.S. Pat. No. 1,774,027 issued Aug. 26, 1930 to MartenMartenson for “Combined Scoop and Shovel; U.S. Pat. No. 1,234,057 issuedJul. 17, 1917 to Gilbert McIntyre for “Combined Scoop and Sack Filler”;U.S. Pat. No. 1,182,412 issued May 9, 1916 for “Combination Scoop andSack Filler”; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,167,782 issued Jan. 11, 1916 to JamesW. Richards for “Grain Scoop.”

Grain scoops have a front opening for scooping the grain and a rear,smaller opening for depositing the grain into sacks and othercontainers. Grout is much heavier than grain so that a grain scoop wouldnot have a satisfactory life if it were used for cement.

The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a scoop made of 1.8mm steel, or high impact plastic (nylon) preferably having a flat bottomwall, a flat top wall and a pair of sidewalls forming an elongatedhousing. A rear wall blocks the rear end of the scoop. Preferably thescoop is about 12 to 24 inches overall, four to nine inches wide with aheight of four to ten inches. The scoop is not limited to thesedimensions, as fabrication ultimately must meet/suit consumer needs.

The scoop's capacity is larger than the amount of grout that it isintended to handle. For example, if a scoop were filled with cement, thescoop would weigh about 100 lbs., which is too heavy for repetitivelifting. Typically the user will scoop about 45 lbs. of grout, or acomfortable lifting load.

In another embodiment of the invention, the bottom wall of the scoop hasa channel-like configuration. However, a flat bottom wall is preferredbecause the square configuration of the front opening makes it easier toreach into the corner of the tub containing the grout.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will becomereadily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the inventionpertains upon reference to the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to the accompanying drawings in which likereference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views,and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred scoop;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear end of the scoop of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the preferred scoop showing the location ofthe user's hands when scooping a load of grout;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but illustrating the locations ofthe hands of two workers exchanging the scoop;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating how the scoop is used for depositing groutinto the top core of a concrete block; and

FIG. 6 is an end view of an alternative embodiment of the inventionusing a rounded bottom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred scoop 10formed of sheet steel or plastic having a thickness of about 1.8 mm.Scoop 10 comprises a top planar wall 12, a bottom planar wall 14 and apair of side walls 16 and 18 having their edges joined to the outeredges of the top wall and the bottom wall. The top wall and the bottomwall are parallel to one another, as are the side walls. The top wallpreferably has a width of about seven inches. The sidewalls have aheight of eight inches, the overall length of the scoop is 24 inches.

The front edges of the two side walls and the top and bottom wallsdefine a rectangular opening 20. The bottom wall is longer than the topwall so that the front edges of the two sidewalls, form an acute angle,as illustrated in FIG. 1. This configuration assists the user inscooping cement.

Referring to FIG. 2, a rear wall 22 blocks the rear end of the sidewalls, top and bottom walls.

A pair of handles 24 and 26 are attached to the side walls. Handle 24has a pair of legs 28 and 30 attached to the top wall and side walls.Midsection 32 is connected to the upper ends of legs 28 and 30, in aposition parallel to top wall 12. The midsection of each handle issupported by the legs a sufficient distance above the top wall to permita user to grasp the handle. The handle is preferably a one-piececomponent

Handle 26 also has a pair of legs 34 and 36 joined to the top walls andthe sidewalls as by welding or the like. Midsection 38 is joined to theupper ends of legs 34 and 36, parallel to handle 32. Preferably thedistance between the handles is about 15 inches.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the manner in which the scoop may be raised bya user scooping cement. In this case, the “X” at 40 and 42 show theuser's two hands at opposite ends of the two handles.

FIG. 4 shows how the scoop may be transferred from one worker to anotherby the passing worker placing his hands at the locations marked “X” at44 and 46, and the receiving worker placing his hands to grasp thehandles at locations 48 and 50.

FIG. 5 illustrates the manner in which the front opening of scoop 10 israised for depositing grout into opening 52 in a typical hollow concretemasonry unit 54. FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the invention60 which is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1, except that the bottomwall has a rounded configuration 62.

As a wall is built, it may be necessary to grout several times becauseof the increasing wall height. Grout usually takes place in five-footlifts.

The scoop provides an efficient means for placing on-site mixed grout atthe user's convenience.

1. A hand scoop for lifting and passing grout, or any other high densitygranular material, comprising: an elongated housing having a planar topwall, a bottom wall, and spaced side walls joined to outer edges of thetop wall and the bottom wall to define a front opening for receivingliquid grout, and a rear wall blocking passage of grout from the housingso as to form a bucket for containing grout; the top wall having a firstlength from the rear wall to said front opening, the bottom wall havinga greater length from the rear wall to the front opening and said sidewalls having front edges extending from the top wall to the bottom wall;a front elongated handle comprising a second pair of legs rigidlyattached to the side walls in a position perpendicular to the plane ofthe top wall, and a handle midsection joined to the upper ends of thelegs in a position parallel to the plane of the top wall and normal tothe length of the housing; and a rear elongated handle comprising a pairof legs rigidly attached to the side walls in a position perpendicularto the plane of the top wall, and a handle midsection joined to theupper ends of the second pair of legs, in a position parallel to thefront handle, the front handle legs being joined to said side wallsproximate said opening, normal to the length of the housing and the legsof the rear handle being joined to the side walls proximate said rearwall.
 2. A scoop as defined in claim 1, in which the bottom wall isflat.
 3. A scoop as defined in claim 1, in which the bottom wall isrounded.
 4. A scoop as defined in claim 1, in which the sidewalls areparallel, one to the other.
 5. A scoop as defined in claim 1, in whichthe sidewalls each have a front edge forming an acute angle with respectto the bottom edge thereof.
 6. A scoop as defined in claim 1, in whichthe front and rear handle midsections each have a length permitting thehands of at least two users to grasp the handle midsections, side byside.
 7. A scoop as defined in claim 6, in which the handle midsectionsare each seven inches long.